Sen. John McCain arrives in Washington, DC, to deliver a vote to proceed to debate on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act on July 25, 2017. (Image: Democracy Now)
As protesters shouted “Kill the bill! Kill the bill!” Senate Republicans voted Tuesday, by the narrowest of margins, to open debate on repealing Obamacare. Vice President Mike Pence broke a 50-50 tie in the Senate. Two Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined Democrats in voting against the motion to proceed. Republican Senator John McCain cast a decisive vote to open debate, after flying in from Arizona, where he is being treated for brain cancer. But hours later, the effort to repeal or replace Obamacare faced another setback, when nine Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the first healthcare proposal. We speak with Joshua Green of Bloomberg Businessweek about the latest news plus his new book, Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency.
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: Tuesday was another dramatic day in Washington. On Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans voted, by the narrowest of margins, to open debate on repealing Obamacare. Vice President Mike Pence broke a 50-50 tie in the Senate. Two Republican senators, both women — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined Democrats in voting against the motion to proceed. Republican Senator John McCain made a dramatic entrance and cast a decisive vote to open debate, after flying in from Arizona, where he’s being treated for brain cancer. But hours later, the effort to repeal or replace Obamacare faced another setback when nine Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the first healthcare proposal.
Meanwhile, President Trump continued to publicly humiliate his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who was the first senator to endorse Trump during the 2016…